Menu Diary: Persian-inspired Autumn Supper

I seem to have dropped off the blogging tear in 2011! But I would love to start a diary of menus, to keep track of what I make and serve at different gatherings.

Tonight:

pomegranate-rosewater martinis

cashews with spicy pineapple dust

a big salad of green grapes, walnuts, parsley, pomegranate seeds, persimmon and pistachio-lemon oil 

a big steaming "zereshk polo" made with spaghetti squash instead of basmati rice, topped with pistachios, barberries, carrot strings, saffron, and onions caramelized in butter

roasted cauliflower served with four sauces (tahini-mustard, mint-cilantro, mango-chilli, tamarind)

lamb, salmon and shrimp seared with za'atar, Aleppo pepper, dried lemon
(and, in the case of the lamb, a little pomegranate syrup, too)

saffron panna cotta

Moroccan mint tea

Randy Mayor; Jan Gautro

Uppama

Uppama

Uppama is a South Indian breakfast dish that can be made with coarse semolina, pearl tapioca, rice flakes, or vermicelli. You can toss in all kinds of vegetables. At home my family makes it with diced carrots, peas, green beans, but I also like it with black-eyed peas, asparagus, soaked and chopped kokum ka phul, chopped kale... Really, choose your own adventure!

It goes well with chutney. My favorite chutney pairing for uppama is red bell pepper chutney or ginger chutney.

1 1/2 cups coarse semolina ("sooji"), rice flakes ("poha"), pearl tapioca ("sabudana") or vermicelli ("sev")
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds
1 stalk curry leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
3/4 cup salted peanuts, coarsely crushed, or tuvar dal
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 Serrano chili, minced
1 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped and peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sliced spinach (or other veggie)
3 tablespoons thinly shredded cilantro
1 lime, juiced
Salt

[If using tapioca, put the grain in a bowl and wash in several changes of cold water from the tap until the water loses its murkiness and remains clear and soak in fresh cold water to cover 8 hours. Drain in a sieve and spread on a tray laid with a paper towel. Refrigerate the drained tapioca at least 1 hour.]

Heat the oil in an 8-quart pot over moderately high heat until shimmering and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds being to pop, which will be almost immediately, add the curry leaves and cumin seeds and stir.

Add the peanuts/dal, shallots, serrano, ginger and increase the heat to high. Cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute.

Stir in the butter and when melted, add the grain and salt to taste. Cook until grain is heated through (3-4 minutes). Add the veggies and continue to cook until the grain turns transparent. Unless you're using the pre-soaked tapioca, pour 3/4 to 1 cup boiling water in, bring to boil, then turn off the heat, cover, and let the grain absorb the liquid and steam.

Just before serving, stir the lime and cilantro into the pilaf and season with salt.

Roasted peanut salad

Roasted peanut salad is a very easy, satisfying, high protein, vegetarian, tasty snack!

Finely dice a red onion into a large bowl, then squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the red onion. Top with 1/2 a bunch of finely chopped fresh cilantro.
Take 1 lb. raw Spanish peanuts and either pan roast them or roast them under your broiler until they darken and the peanut oils release and give your whole kitchen a peanut smell. Be careful not to burn them.
Toss the hot roasted peanuts with the red onion, lime juice, cilantro, and added salt and red chilli powder to taste.

Recipe by Miz Hummus: Grand Marnier candied pecans

Grand Marnier candied pecans

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Grate the rinds of 2 large oranges to create 7 tablespoons zest.

3. Melt together over low heat in a saucepan:
1/2 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
2 teaspoons salt
Zest

4. Let cool slightly

5. Add mixture to a mixing bowl and cover 5 cups pecans in mixture

6. Butter two cookie sheets

7. Spread pecans evenly on cookie sheets and bake for 15 minutes

8. Let cool for 5 min and then sprinkle pecans with 1/8 cup Grand Marnier

9. Let cool completely and serve

Brussels Sprouts, by way of Beirut

1.25 lb Brussels Sprouts, rinsed, quartered, and *thoroughly* dried

olive oil

1/2 C yogurt (thick Greek-style or plain, as you prefer)

4 Tbsp pomegranate syrup (pomegranate juice, reduced to a thick syrup)

4 Tbsp crumbled toasted walnuts

8 Tbsp Sliced Seedless Green Grapes

Ground coriander seed, black pepper, salt (about 1/2 tsp) and sherry vinegar, to taste

Handful pomegranate seeds

Mix the yogurt with the ground coriander seed and black pepper.

Deep fry the Brussels sprouts or sear the cut sides in a pan until well browned - almost burnt - or toss with olive oil and roast in the oven at 500 degrees Fahrenheit until crispy. The Brussels sprouts should still be green with browned outer leaves when cooked. Toss with salt and sherry vinegar.

Stir together until completely coated the Brussels sprouts, spiced yogurt, walnuts and grapes, then swirl in the pomegranate syrup so it looks kind of like a ribbon winding through the dish, garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve warm.

Hazelnut, Sage, and Mushroom Stuffing

yield: Makes 8 servings

8 cups 1/2-inch cubes of firm bread such as a Pullman loaf (1 pound)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped shallots (about 8 medium; 10 ounces)
1 stick unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery (from 3 ribs)
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
2 teaspoons finely chopped sage
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups hazelnuts (1/2 pound), toasted , any loose skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2-4 cups stock
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Generously butter baking dish. Arrange bread in 1 layer in 2 large shallow baking pans and toast, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until golden and dry, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. (Leave oven on.) Bread cubes and hazelnuts can be toasted 2 days ahead and kept in sealed bags at room temperature.

Meanwhile, cook shallots in 1/2 stick butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 6 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery, thyme, sage, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid given off by mushrooms has evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Add wine and deglaze skillet by boiling, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until wine is reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bread in bowl.

Add hazelnuts and parsley and toss.

Whisk together stock, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then stir into bread mixture. Transfer to baking dish and dot top of stuffing with remaining 1/2 stick butter.

Bake, loosely covered with foil, in lower third of oven 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake until top is browned, about 15 minutes more.

(Stuffing, without hazelnuts and stock-and-egg mixture, can be assembled (but not baked), 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Stir in nuts and stock mixture, then proceed with recipe. Stuffing can be baked 6 hours ahead and chilled, uncovered, until cool, then loosely covered. Reheat, covered, in a 400°F oven until hot, about 30 minutes.)

Urban Family Thanksgiving

My lovely guardian angel sister-friend Anne declared, "Let's have an urban family Thanksgiving dinner here!" And that is exactly what we did.

Here is what we served:

Lillet Blanc over fresh tangerine zest (on the rocks)

Assorted cheeses (an aged sheep's milk gouda, a garrotxa, a tangy blue, a creamy brie-like cow's milk cheese) with pumpkin butter, sunflower honey, fig-almond spread, sliced New York apples & crispbread

Butternut squash panna cotta

A red salad of pomegranate, beets, red onion & blood oranges

(A choice of Albariño or pinot noir with dinner)

Roast duck & cornbread dotted with dried cherries

Hazelnut, sage, & mushroom stuffing

Cranberry chutney

Shaved Brussels sprouts with pecorino romano

Gingered yams with mustard greens

Homemade pumpkin and cherry pies with mulled apple cider granita

Annie made pie crust from scratch!

Recipe: Bombay Bhel

Bhel puri is a type of chaat or savory snack that you get all over India but that's particularly associated with Bombay, especially the vendors who serve it along Chowpatty beach. You can mix just about anything tart, salty, spicy, or crunchy into it. Diced green mango and sprouted mung are typical additions. The most common ingredients are diced boiled potatoes, diced red onion, minced cilantro, and spiced puffed rice, deep fried, crunchy lentils, and sev (chickpea flour deep fried to make crunchy broken "noodles") tossed with a mix of sweet, sour, and spicy chutneys and spices and topped off with lime juice. Imli-date and coriander chutneys are the most commonly used. Sometimes chilli sauce and yogurt are added.

For my friend's shower, I mixed together about 1 1/2 cups puffed rice that had been tossed with red chilli powder (lal mirchi), salt, and coriander powder (dhania); 2 cups fresh corn kernels; 1/2 cup spiced roasted cashews; 1/2 cup sev; 1/2 cup fried chana dal; 1 large diced red onion; 3 medium potatoes, cooked but still firm, and cubed; 3/4 C chopped fresh cilantro; 1/2 C imli-date chutney; and the juice of one fresh lime.

Recipe: Pomegranate-Date Tagine

I had resolved to make more tagines when we returned from Morocco - they're layered with sweet spices, a lingering tang (not a bright one), and the mouth seems to want to savor bites for longer, encouraging a healthy slowness in eating, lingering and conversation.  I haven't made very many in the last several months, but here's a particularly simple one, that could also be made in a covered baking dish if you don't have a tagine.

Pomegranate-Date Tagine for 2

olive oil
1 lb to 1.5 lbs wild coho salmon
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 preserved lemon
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 Cup pomegranate juice
1/4 C chopped dates
1 tsp salt

Generously salt and pepper the fish. Heat a tagine over medium heat until
very hot. Lower oven rack to lower middle position and preheat to 275°F.

Add the onions, minced ginger and preserved lemon to the pan and saute for
about 20 minutes. Add the cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds and caramelize
the onions (another 10 minutes). Add the fish to the pot, the pomegranate
juice, and the dates. Bring to a boil and salt to taste.

Cover and place in the oven. Braise for 30 minutes or until the fish
flakes.

We had this with pistachio couscous (simply, couscous for 2 with
about 1/3 Cup shelled and coarsely chopped pistachios stirred into it while
hot; also added a dash of lemon juice).

Recipe: Ruby & Golden Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Pistachio Dressing

Ruby & Golden Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Pistachio Dressing for 8

3 large red beets
2 large golden beets
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
4 oz soft mild goat cheese
3 tablespoons shelled pistachios, finely chopped
1 oz mâche, trimmed (4 cups)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Separately wrap red and golden beets in foil and roast in oven, 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap and allow to cool.

Whisk together shallot, lemon juice, chopped pistachios, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then add oil in a stream, whisking. Allow to sit at room temperature while the beets are roasting.

When beets are cool enough to handle, slip off and discard skins. Dice red and golden beets into 1/4" dice and put in separate bowls. Add almost half of the dressing to each bowl and toss to coat (saving at least a tablespoon of dressing). Place a 2 to 2 1/2" cookie cutter in the center of 1 of 8 salad plates. Put 1/8 of the red beets into the cutter and press down with your fingertips or a spoon. Crumble 2 teaspoons goat cheese on top, then 1/8 of the golden beets, packing down. Gently lift cutter up and away from stack. Make 7 more servings in same manner.

Strain the remaining dressing and toss the mâche with just the strained olive oil/lemon juice (just enough to coat) and gently mound on top of beets.

Recipe: Gajar ka Halwa (Indian Carrot Pudding)

Tomorrow is Diwali, so on Sunday we gathered together with about 5 or 6 other families and, as most communities do during holiday celebrations, made and ate lots of treats.

Carrot seera or gajar ka halwa is an Indian sweet dish usually made with clarified butter, milk, and lots of white sugar. I love it, but wanted to make a less sweet, non-dairy version that let more of the natural carrot flavor come through. After all, why start with the brilliant idea of taking the antioxidant powerhouse carrot, which has pretty sweet juice to begin with, turn it into a glorious deep orange pudding even the most vegetable-resistant kid will ask for second helpings of, but then heap it with harmful fats and white sugar? So here's a version I successfully made yesterday, with no dairy and no white sugar. The almond milk and almond butter also add to the flavor profile.

Gajar ka Halwa (for 12)

18 big juicy organic carrots, trimmed, peeled, washed, and grated

Grapeseed (or other mild-tasting and good-for-you) oil spray

4 tablespoons almond butter

Several pinches saffron

1/4 Cup cardamom pods, pounded using a mortar and pestle until the black seeds are exposed

9 whole cloves

4 Cups almond milk (unsweetened)

1.5 Cups brown sugar (taste test to decide whether to use more or less, depending on how sweet the carrots naturally are already and the sweetness you prefer)

Optional: add golden raisins at the same time that you add the brown sugar

Garnish: slivered almonds

Spray the bottom and halfway up the sides of a big, heavy-bottomed soup pot with the grapeseed oil spray. Turn the stove on to medium heat and briefly fry the saffron until its color begins seeping into the oil. Add the almond butter and let it warm for a few seconds. Add the carrots, pounded cardamom pods, and cloves, and fold and stir until all the carrots are coated with almond butter and the fragrant spices. Add the almond milk and the brown sugar and stir until mixed thoroughly. Let the mixture simmer on medium heat, half uncovered, stirring every now and then, until the milk is reduced and the mixture is so thick that no liquid drips off a spoonful. Serve hot or at room temperature garnished with slivered almonds.

It took me about 2 hours to make it yesterday, but the nice thing is you don't have to do anything during this simmering phase except for check on it and stir it every now and then, so yesterday, I let the carrot seera simmer while I made other dishes. And if you divide this recipe by thirds, as it would make sense to do if you're just making it for a group of four or so, it will be done much more quickly.

Recipe by Miz Paprika: Savory Sun-Dried Tomato Muffins

This is a Guest Blog Post by Miz Paprika! Enjoy : )

Hi all! Miz Masala asked me to share with you one of my new favorite recipes: savory muffins.

This is adapted from 101cookbooks.com, the incredible and beautiful website maintained by Heidi Swanson, author of “Super Natural Cooking.”

Savory muffins are great because they are 1) high protein and low carb and 2) incredibly portable, so I often take them with me for lunch or as a snack for the airplane when I’m traveling. Like most muffins, these take only one bowl to make and are incredibly easy to alter to fit your tastes. This recipe includes sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and basil, so they taste a bit like a very wholesome pizza, but you could easily do scallions and cheddar cheese, ham and gruyere, spinach-feta, or rosemary, garlic, and parmesan. Once you have this basic recipe, it’s very easy to experiment.

Savory Sun-Dried Tomato Muffins

1 cup cottage cheese (I use farmer’s cheese because it blends better, and I like the texture, but if you have some available and want to try this, make sure you add a little bit of milk to compensate for the dry texture of farmer’s cheese vs. cottage cheese)
¾ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup flour (any kind will do, but I prefer to use all-purpose white flour or whole wheat pastry flour to cut the rough texture of the almond flour)

1 cup almonds, finely ground (you can use almond flour, if you have it available - I know Whole Foods sells it)

¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (in oil) finely chopped
¼ cup fresh basil (finely chopped)
¼ cup water
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 °F. If you bake with any frequency at all (or even if you are an infrequent baker and want to try baking more), I highly highly recommend purchasing some silicone muffin pans. They changed my life : ). The muffins just slide out when they’re done and you don’t have to grease the pan or mess with those annoying paper cups. If you don’t have a silicone muffin pan yet, line a regular muffin pan with paper cups or grease the pan - just be careful to get it all the way up the sides and around any corners so the muffins don’t stick.

Combine all of the ingredients except ¼ cup of the parmesan in a bowl and mix all together by hand. Pour into your muffin pan and top each muffin with a sprinkling of the parmesan cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. I have never made it this long, but they should keep for a week.

Makes 9-12 muffins depending on the size of your pan.

Autumn Eats

Lately, I have been working late, and we have been throwing together meals so quickly, and devouring them even more quickly, that I have been forgetting to take pictures and blog the recipes.  But we have been enjoying autumn's bounty, via the following easy-to-make quickies:

Roasted Squash with Rosemary 

          - Chopped zucchini and summer squash tossed with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, and roasted in a 350°F oven for about a half hour (until cooked/tender).

Whole Wheat Angel Hair Pasta with Green Olive Tapenade, Broccoli, and Red Chilli Pepper Flakes 

          - Broccoli florets sauteed in olive oil, garlic, red chilli pepper flakes, and salt, tossed with hot whole wheat angel hair pasta, fresh black pepper, and green olive tapenade.

Butternut Squash Soup 

          - Peel a butternut squash, halve it width-wise, halve each half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, toss with olive oil, roast at 400°F for ~25 mins. in a foil-lined baking tray (until it's tender), puree with vegetable stock to the consistency of your choice with the seasonings of your choice (this time I used salt, pepper, and fennel fronds; I also love ginger, or honey and garam masala). 

Warm Lentil Salad

          - Saute the chopped, lower, thicker parts of four scallions, four chopped celery stalks, and garlic in olive oil until softened. Stir in 2 cans of drained brown (French) lentils and salt and pepper. Stir until warmed through and mixed together - be careful not to let the lentils get mashed up. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, chopped fresh parsley, and the chopped, upper, thinner parts of the four scallions.

Wild Rice, Cranberry, Shiitake, and Sliced Snap Pea Salad

          - Toss cooked brown rice and cooked wild rice with dried cranberries, thinly sliced sauteed shiitakes, and thinly sliced blanched snap peas with salt, pepper, and a vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, walnut oil, olive oil, chilli pepper, and minced shallots.

Mache and Mesclun Salad with McIntosh Apples, Candied Pecans, Shaved Manchego, Shaved Fennel, and White Balsamic Vinaigrette

          - In each plate, place a handful of mache rosettes and mesclun. Top with chopped McIntosh apples, candied pecans, and shaved fennel. Drizzle with a vinaigrette of white balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, and salt. Grind black pepper over salads. Top each with a few pieces of shaved manchego.

Recipe: Lemon Rice

Lemon rice is my favorite accompaniment for any Indian-style fish dish or South Indian-style dish. It's also a great way to jazz up leftover rice.

My South Indian nanny (who is now quite old, but until very, very recently could still shimmy up a coconut tree) used to make this a lot when she lived with us when I was 6 or 7, and she wrote out a whole notebook of South Indian recipes for us before she went back to Bangalore (where she still works with the blind). When I went to college, I copied out into my own recipe notebook a number of my favorites from hers, including this one.

Lemon Rice for 4

2 cups cooked brown Basmati rice (start with 1 cup uncooked rice)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves
2 chillies, either green chillies slit lengthwise or whole dried red chillies
1/4 cup roasted shredded coconut
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup roasted or deep fried chana dal
1/2 tsp turmeric
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt to taste
Optional: a handful of minced fresh cilantro (not traditional, but I like how cilantro brightens everything)

Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillies. Fry until the mustard seeds have all popped. Add the turmeric, remove from the heat, and toss into the cooked rice along with the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Recipe: Miang Kum Salad

In Thai cuisine, miang kum is a do-it-yourself appetizer. Spinach or other green leaves are brought in a stack to the table with little individual bowls of tamarind or chilli sauce, diced lime, dried shrimp, roasted peanuts, roasted shredded coconut, diced red onion or shallot, diced ginger, and sometimes minced chillies. You put as much of each filling as you want in your leaf, wrap it up, and pop it into your mouth.

On Saturday, I saw a dear friend and old roommate of mine who reminded me that I used to make a chopped salad with the miang kum ingredients when we lived together, and she asked me to post the recipe. So here it is!

Miang Kum Salad for 4-6

About 2 Cups spinach, finely chopped (other greens, such as young collards, would also work)

Thai chilli sauce to taste

1/4 Cup small dried shrimp

1/2 Cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

2 diced shallots (or half a red onion, diced)

a 2" piece ginger, peeled and very finely diced

1 lime, washed well, unpeeled and very finely diced

3/4 Cup toasted shredded coconut

Toss all of the ingredients together. Option - serve with lime wedges.

Diced ripe mango could be a sweet addition to this salad; diced green mango, a tart addition. For more heat, you could add finely sliced Thai chillies, with or without the seeds (leaving in the seeds is spicier).

Recipe: Soba Salad with Peanut Sauce

Here's something we had last night. We had a bunch of extra vegetables in the fridge, so I was trying to think of what to do with them.

Soba Salad with Peanut Sauce for 2

4 oz. buckwheat soba

about 1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds

2 sheets nori, cut into strips

4 scallions, washed, trimmed, white and green parts chopped

6 small-ish carrots, peeled, trimmed, julienned

1 long cucumber, peeled, trimmed, seeded, julienned

half of a really big daikon, peeled, julienned

1/2 C. sliced shiitake mushrooms (optional: stir-fry briefly in some peanut oil)

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, diced

1 tsp. peanut oil

2 tsp. minced ginger

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp. nama shoyu

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. rice vinegar

1/2 - 1 tsp. red chilli powder (depending on how spicy you like things)

1/3 Cup natural smooth peanut butter (i.e., the only ingredient should be "peanuts" - or you're getting a bunch of unnecessary sugar)

1/2 Cup broth

1/2 tsp. salt

splash of maple syrup

splash of chilli sesame oil

juice of 1 orange
additional salt/chilli powder to taste

I cleaned, peeled, trimmed and chopped/julienned all the veggies and the scallions first, and put them together in a big bowl with the black sesame seeds and slivered nori.

Then, I heated the oil over medium high heat in a pan, added the ginger and garlic, and let those become fragrant, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Then I added to the ginger-garlic the nama shoyu, rice vinegar, chilli powder, peanut butter, broth, salt, and maple syrup (which I had pre-combined in a measuring cup and stirred together while the ginger-garlic was cooking, but I'm not sure that's important). I think I left the sauce simmering over low heat for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickened and became smooth. At that point I turned off the heat and stirred in the orange juice and chilli sesame oil, because I had tasted the sauce and felt it needed a little sweet citrus and more heat.

Meanwhile, I was boiling the water (with a bit of salt) for cooking the soba; I added the soba to the boiling water and let it cook for about 7-8 minutes. When the soba was tender, I lifted it out with tongs, let the water drain off (or, you could drain it in a colander - I was just using fewer dishes to avoid more cleanup), and added the hot noodles to the peanut sauce, stirred them together, then added that whole mixture of noodles-and-sauce to the big bowl with the veggies, scallions, nori, and black sesame seeds, and tossed everything together.

We added some additional chilli powder and a bit of salt at this point to taste (I had not wanted to salt the veggies earlier, since that would have caused them to leech out a lot of water).

You could definitely add/substitute all kinds of things to this: cubed tofu, fresh or pan-fried; chunks of cooked salmon; other veggies, like spinach cut into ribbons, or wilted and chopped, or finely sliced red cabbage or napa cabbage for a bit of crunch; strips of omelet or boiled crab; etc., etc.

(By the way, don't you think I'm already getting better at taking close-up pics of food? : ) I feel this one is a significant improvement over the tabbouleh pic.)